Don Briggs – Louisiana Oil & Gas Association -

In my July column, I wrote, “The stage is set for the transformation from an oil supplied transportation system to a natural gas supplied transportation system.” With the discovery of the Barnett, Haynesville, Marcellus and other shale plays and the development of sophisticated drilling and fracturing techniques, the U.S. now has an abundant supply of natural gas reserves for many decades to come. In addition, federal and state incentives are in place to encourage consumers and industry to switch or convert to natural gas, the clean burning fuel of the future.

However, transformations, especially large ones, do not happen over night. They take time, planning and a degree of risks.  Would you purchase a natural gas powered vehicle today?  I would, but not until fueling stations and an infrastructure are in place to support my travels on a day-to-day basis.  Would you invest in building a fueling station?  I would, but not until vehicles are present to fuel and a market exists to sell my gas. So the answer is no, not now.  It is the chicken or the egg dilemma.  Which one comes first?

Before attempting to solve the dilemma, a few frequently asked questions need to be answered.

What is CNG?

• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is the same gas that fuels your stove, heats your water, and fuels your barbeque pit.
• Natural gas is compressed under high pressure at the fueling station and then is dispensed into the vehicle.
• Natural gas is stored under high pressure in cylinders until the fuel is released to power the car or truck.

What are the “types” of fueling or filling stations?

• Commercial Stations (slow fill or fast fill): Slow fill stations require small compressors to fill at a much slower rate. Fast fill stations require large compressors and storage cylinders to fill at the equivalent rate of gasoline.
• Home Fueling Stations: This is the smallest and least expensive. A filling unit is mounted to the garage or home and uses the same gas that is already built into your home. The unit plugs into your vehicle and fills very slowly, generally overnight.

Back to our dilemma – The chicken or the egg? The answer is neither. CNG will only succeed if it is both the chicken AND the egg, and that is exactly what is taking place in Lafayette.

The Apache Oil Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, with Louisiana offices in Lafayette and Houma, has stepped to the plate and committed to build a CNG fueling station in Lafayette.  In return, the Lafayette business community has committed to convert fleet vehicles to CNG or bi-fuel vehicles. Under the leadership of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Lafayette Economic Development, Lafayette Consolidated Government, LOGA (Louisiana Oil & Gas Association), and private and publically held corporations, several meetings have already been held to discuss and explore the ins and outs of converting fleet vehicles. This combined effort solves the dilemma by providing adequate supply and demand – the chicken and the egg.

CNG fleet vehicles are not uncommon to many large metropolitan cities.  For instance, city buses are powered by CNG in Washington, D.C. In southern California, every garbage truck is powered by CNG, which greatly reduces carbon emissions and is more cost effective than gasoline. Even some businesses are converting to CNG.  AT&T recently announced plans to convert 8,000 vehicles to CNG.

CNG is coming soon to a station near you.